Recap of U.S.-China Investment Week 2013 in Dallas

Dan Healy

Dan Healy and former U.S. President George W. Bush meet at the gala dinner where President Bush was the guest of honor.

U.S.-China Investment Week in Dallas

BY DAN HEALY

The second annual U.S.-China Investment Week, October 11-18th, came to a close last Friday. The three-stage event kicked-off in Dallas and was followed by stops in Las Vegas and New York City.

We held a welcome reception for a group of Chinese delegates representing a diverse range of industries at the historic Old Parkland complex on Friday, October 11th. The informal, intimate event set the stage for the great week ahead.

October 11: Welcome reception at Old Parkland ballroom | Dan Healy, CEO of Civitas Capital Group gives welcome remarks to Chinese delegates upon their arrival.

After the delegation spent much of Saturday and Sunday shopping, visiting museums and the chamber of commerce in Dallas-Fort Worth as well as driving race cars at the Texas Motor Speedway, they attended a gala dinner with President George W. Bush presiding as the Guest of Honor.

A full day of discussion took place on Monday, October 14th at the Winspear Opera House in the AT&T Performing Arts Center. The conversation focused on three topics:

October 14: Tina Hou, MD of Civitas, is discussing the components of a good EB-5 deal and the U.S. real estate market with Chinese delegates in an afternoon breakout session.

Following the second topic of discussion, I participated on a Q&A panel discussion. I really enjoy these conversations, which build understanding, and therefore trust, so it’s natural for the dialogue to gravitate towards these areas. I received a number of relevant questions, such as, “How do you find the right local partner in the U.S.? How do you help bridge the cultural gap between the U.S. and China? And how do you like to structure your deals with foreign investors?”

On the sidelines of these events, I often get a lot of questions about our EB-5 funds, of which we have successfully completed more than a dozen. Civitas manages almost $300 million in EB-5 capital from nearly 600 families, in projects that will create thousands of jobs in the U.S. A majority of our funds are the result of leading public-private partnerships, which we have established with cities such as Dallas and Fort Worth.

One investment that received a lot of attention at the event was the renovation of a 100-year-old building into what is now the NYLO Dallas South Side Hotel. This boutique, luxury hotel is the first new full-service hotel in the southern sector of Dallas in over 50 years. The hotel is off to a great start since opening last year, and we were humbled to receive the 2013 Best Real Estate Deal of the Year Award for Most Creative Financing from the Dallas Business Journal for this project.

October 14: Chinese delegates from ICIA.

The second U.S.-China Investment Week lived up to expectations and kept the momentum going for what I hope will transpire into the third next year. The event was well-attended, demonstrating that the Chinese desire to understand how to partner and invest in America only continues to grow.

October 11: U.S.-China Investment Summit at Winspear Opera House in Dallas | Robert Cresanti, former U.S. Commerce undersecretary, gives the keynote speech to Chinese delegates and guests.

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